Manchester United still have 'a lot to play for' despite Chelsea loss says Juan Mata

Manchester United have to retain their positivity and learn from their mistakes. So argued midfield maestro Juan Mata in his latest personal blog post, following a defeat at Stamford Bridge.

United suffered a 1-0 defeat away to rivals Chelsea, with Mata’s fellow Spain international, Alvaro Morata, scoring the only goal of the match.

“It hurts to lose, that’s for sure. Both you and us. But now there’s an international break coming and it’s a good time to recap and to see the things that we’re doing well and the things that we can improve.”

Mata watched on from the sidelines as the reds struggled to show their teeth in the final third. An own goal from Phil Jones was contentiously disallowed and United missed Anthony Martial’s confident attacking presence. More chances were created in the final minutes, after the Frenchman took to the field, but it was too late for Jose’s men.

Mata noted that “the return to Stamford Bridge didn’t work out as we expected. It was a tough and intense game where Chelsea were able to take their chances to get the three points.” However he remains optimistic that United can build on the performance, saying “In sports you have to accept the defeats, but with the only goal of learning from them and trying to improve in the next game. That’s what we’re going to do. There’s still a lot to play for, so let’s carry on.”

“In this sense, I think that we shouldn’t forget our victory against Benfica at Old Trafford on Tuesday that took us really close to the next stage of the Champions League. Four wins out of four games are an extraordinary record; we must give value to that, and yet remain vigilant. We still need at least one more point, and our goal, of course, is to finish on top of the group.”